Suspect sought in hammer assault

The suspect has been identified as Jaime Olivera. He is approximately 6'5" tall with a stocky frame.

May 25, 2010 8:50:06 PM PDT

Eyewitness News

QUEENS --

NYPD is looking for a man who used a hammer to assault an 82-year-old man.

The incident happened back on Friday February 12, 2010 at 10:15 p.m.

Sonnino Paliotta of Forest Hills said he hired the suspect, 49-year-old Jamie Olivera, to do some construction work in his bathroom. He needed the walls taken down for retiling. When that work was done, Paliotta said Garcia suggested that he do the tiling work.

Paliotta agreed and paid him $500 up front for a $2500 job. Several weeks went by and when Garcia was unable to start the work because he couldn't get a machine that he needed, he refunded the money and the two went their separate ways.

A couple of months later, Garcia came back and told Paliotta that his father died in Chicago and he needed to borrow $200. Paliotta said he trusted Garcia and gave him the money. He was promised that it would be refunded that next week.

When Garcia returned, Paliotta said he claimed that his father left him $12 million and he would refund him the money when he got it in May. He offered to do something for the victim in the meantime.

Paliotta asked that Garcia give his niece's husband a job because he hadn't worked in a while. He was also the same person who originally introduced the two men. Garcia agreed, and as they were walking to the door, Paliotta said Garcia flipped out and hit him in the head with a hammer.

Paliotta was struck twice more during the assault. He was transported to Elmhurst Hospital, where he received 26 stitches to his head.

Olivera, who remains at large, is approximately 6'5" tall with a stocky frame.

Anyone with information in regards to the whereabouts of this suspect is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. You can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or text tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.